Police ‘naughty list’ shows more than half of police officers under fire quit the force

Kev Rogers

More than half of police officers under investigation for misconduct resign or retire before they can be sanctioned, new figures reveal.

But the national College of Policing’s Disapproved Register was not able to say how many are from Nottinghamshire Police.

In its first year of operation, 444 officers were placed on the national College of Policing’s Disapproved Register to prevent them from re-entering the service after being dismissed for misconduct or resigning or retiring while subject to a gross misconduct investigation where there would have been a case to answer.

Of these, a total of 217 officers resigned, 28 retired, while 199 were dismissed.

College of Policing chief executive, Chief Constable Alex Marshall, said: “The College is committed to being open with the public about the number of officers who have left the police service and the reasons why.

“It is encouraging to see 91 per cent of misconduct cases came from internal complaints and investigations. This shows the willingness of police officers and forces to confront unacceptable behaviour and use the formal misconduct mechanisms to hold offenders to account.

“Confidence remains high in policing with a recent poll showing 66 per cent of the public who were asked said they generally trusted police to tell the truth, which is the highest figure since 1983.

“In the past 12 months the College has created a Code of Ethics for everyone in policing and has improved transparency by publishing a register of chief officers’ pay, business interests and gifts and hospitality.

“As the professional body for police, we will continue to develop officers and staff while protecting the public and reducing crime.”

However the college was unable to provide figures on how many Nottinghamshire policemen were put on the list and why, or how many retired or resigned before receiving any sanction.

A spokesman said the issue was the identification of the officers involved. He added that legislation was going through parliament to allow this to be done in the future.

Among those who resigned or retired while subject to a gross misconduct investigation were 24 officers accused of having a relationship with a vulnerable person and 21 officers facing claims of domestic abuse.

A further nine resigned or retired in the face of claims of sexual conduct towards colleagues, while three resigned in the face of allegations of racist or homophobic behaviour.

The highest number of officers left the service - through dismissal, retiring or resigning - due to data misuse, with 59 officers, followed by a failure to perform duty at 50 and giving false evidence at 41.

Five were dismissed for child sex offences, according to the register.

Out of 444 misconduct cases, 91 per cent - were the result of internal complaints and investigations arising from reports by colleagues, while the remainder came from members of the public.

The College of Policing, which compiles the register, does not disclose which force the officers work for in order to provide anonymity for officers, but all England and Wales forces, as well as the British Transport Police and Ministry of Defence Police, provide names for the register.

The College of Policing’s Disapproved Register became effective from December 1 2013. Today’s figures were for the first 12 months.